New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday condemned the killing of a sarpanch in the Kashmir Valley, and asked the Omar Abdullah Government to initiate tough action against those responsible for such untoward incidents.

BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said this is very serious issue because this is an attack on the idea of democracy.

"People in the Kashmir Valley have participated very spontaneously and with large number of voting in these panchayat elections in which many youth are elected from all walks of life. When they are targeted by separatist or terrorist that means they want that democracy should not function. It is an attack on the democracy," said Javadekar.

"The government should take a very serious note of it and prompt tough action against to ensure safety of the elected representatives. And many people out of fear are resigning, this is also very omen for the democratic future of India," he added.

Javadekar further said the BJP would raise this issue in the Parliament as well.

"But we want the government to act tough on this because this is not an isolated incidence of terror, it's a conspiracy and we all must condemn it," he added.

Suspected militants gunned down a sarpanch in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla District last tonight.

Javed Ahmed Wani, the sarpanch affiliated to the ruling National Conference, was rushed to a nearby hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

No militant outfit has so far claimed responsibility for the killing.

This is the fifth incident in the last six months in which a sarpanch has been killed in Jammu and Kashmir.